The Gary Public Transportation Corporation is celebrating transit equity and former civil rights leader Rosa Parks by offering free fare on Wednesday.
“We are looking at it as a kickoff of our Black History Month celebration,” said David Wright, the GPTC’s planning, marketing and grants manager. “We think that transit equity and (the Montgomery bus boycotts) were such a flashpoint, both in our industry and in Black history. … When the GPTC was created, it improved mobility for the Black residents in Northwest Indiana, and we have since turned that into greater mobility in general.”
Wednesday is National Transit Equity Day, Wright said, which is Parks’ birthday. Transit Equity Day recognizes Parks’ decision to refuse a Montgomery bus driver’s instructions to move to the back of the bus, which helped spark the Civil Rights Movement.
Fuel Outdoor Media, a Tallahassee-based organization, is sponsoring all the free fares, according to GPTC. All fixed routes, transfers and the paratransit service will be part of the promotion.
This year is the first since 2023 that the GPTC has done the free fare promotion, Wright said. The organization got the idea from the Indianapolis transit agency.
“It’s just a way of giving back to our customers,” Wright said. “It highlights equity and accessibility in mobility and public transportation. It’ll help extend and shape the conversation around that here in Gary and Northwest Indiana.”
About 1,500 people use GPTC each day, Wright said, and they’re expecting about a 35-40% increase in riders on Wednesday.
“We’re hoping it’ll increase after Wednesday, too,” Wright said. “One of the reasons we do events like this is to highlight the accessibility of the system and bring more people in who might not notice it’s there.”
Jessie Renslow, a Gary resident, is working with the GPTC through her company, Nexus Strategy and Implementation, to advertise the free fares for Transit Equity Day.
Renslow believes it’s important to recognize transit equity and to ensure residents know that the bus system can be beneficial. She hopes the free fare increases riders that use GPTC.
“In the Midwest, I don’t think public transportation is used as often as in other places,” Renslow said. “I do believe it’s getting more popular now and mostly because of economic circumstances, but I also do think it’s better for the environment.”
Renslow also believes it’s powerful for Transit Equity Day to be during Black History Month because of its history with Rosa Parks.
“It just shows what one person can do when they stand up for something they believe in and know is the right thing to do,” she said. “I believe that in this day and age, that’s a message we need to hear.”
